RV review: 2024 Cherokee Grey Wolf 18RR – updated and still unique-ish

Today’s RV review is of the 2024 Cherokee Grey Wolf 18RR. This is a smaller trailer that has a rear patio ramp—which means it does have toy hauler functionality. 

In fact, I was pondering patio ramps yesterday while driving between campgrounds and wondering why some smart RV company doesn’t make a smaller trailer that just has a patio ramp door. It doesn’t necessarily have to be a toy hauler, although the ability to haul some things would be nice. 

Then I came across this. We have looked at it before, but there have been enough changes that it’s worth looking at again. 

What is the Cherokee Grey Wolf 18RR

Essentially, this is a relatively compact toy hauler that could be a great trailer for some people. While you wouldn’t be able to get very large toys in here, like a side-by-side, you could easily get a couple of eBikes in here. Then they’d be protected from the weather on travel days—and from sticky fingers as well. 

Did you know that eBikes are one of the most stolen personal items out there? Have you ever tried to get insurance on them? Good luck—most homeowner’s policies won’t touch them with a 10-foot pole. 

I was kind of liking this trailer a lot—until I saw the bed arrangement. So, let’s get that out of the way first. 

Cherokee Gray Wolf 18RR 2024

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Sleeping in the Cherokee Grey Wolf 18RR

There are corner queens, pocket queens, short queens and all sorts of other ways RV makers accommodate a queen bed. On this smaller rig, it makes sense that they put the queen bed in a corner, but there is a large bolster at the foot of the queen bed. 

This would make it difficult for whoever is on the inside to get inside, what with the closet there and then being in a pocket. 

Further, there’s a window right at the head of the bed, so the person on the outside should be careful they don’t pop the window out if they’re jiggling around in their sleep. 

It’s really a pretty terrible bed situation, quite honestly. To make it worse, it’s a short queen. 

I think removing that bolster at the base, as is indicated in the floor plan illustration, and removing the window, would really make this a much better situation. Much better. So I can see the comments already and, yeah, I’m with you. 

Good features of the Cherokee Grey Wolf 18RR

Despite the bed, this could make a tremendous amount of sense for some campers. 

In the back, you have the kitchen along the road side. It features a three-burner propane cooktop, a convection-microwave oven, and a larger 10-cubic-foot, 12-volt compressor fridge. 

There’s a decent amount of counter space and a good amount of cabinet and drawer space for a rig this small. There is a folding table that comes with this that can also serve as additional counter space, although it’s only table height. 

Someday, some smart RV company is going to include the folding plastic table that I own that can go up to counter height, be table-height or just fold up. But, for now, you’re just going to have to go and get your own—which is fine. 

Interesting couch

On the camp-side wall is an interesting couch. The backrest is really just a very large pillow that just rests on the couch. The couch can fold up against the wall, if you choose. But it’s mounted in slots in the wall so you can just take the whole thing out quite easily. 

This makes a lot of sense in a toy hauler as it would leave more space for toys. 

Further, if you don’t like this couch, you could just take it out and never put it back and bring whatever folding chairs you like. That might be more comfortable, anyway. 

The highlight of the Cherokee Grey Wolf 18RR

Perhaps the highlight of this entire trailer is the rear patio ramp door. Of course, you can fold this thing down to wheel in your bikes or whatever. But it can also be set up as a large patio—and that’s pretty cool in a trailer of this size. 

It comes with a gate surround, so you can keep dogs or kids or that one uncle from wandering the campground. There’s also a screen that can be zipped up over the large opening. 

This would be a big reason I would consider this trailer and is probably its best feature. 

Changes for 2024

There have been some upgrades and some items changed for 2024 that are worth noting. 

One of the things I’m seeing in Cherokee products is a small inverter by the bed. This would allow you to power things like a CPAP machine or even charge some electronic gadgets. 

Having a smaller inverter means there are fewer losses associated with running that inverter. For example, the inverter in my trailer, which is a 3,000-watt inverter, lets me run anything in the trailer, but there are losses inherent in turning it on. Not big ones—but everything counts when camping off the grid. 

This little thing doesn’t consume a lot of power and can be really useful. I like this idea. 

Cherokee has ditched the Lippert control panel that allowed you to sync your phone to it and operate some of the features from the phone. I know some of you weren’t keen on that feature, but I absolutely love it. I use that all the time on my own trailer. 

But it’s gone now on this one—and that’s okay. 

They did keep things that were very useful, like the high-performance vent fan and the Bluetooth backup camera. 

As for solar, the company doubled the amount of solar on the roof and, while that might sound impressive, it’s not. We only have 100 watts up there, but the charge controller and wiring are reported to be able to accommodate an additional 200 watts of panels, if you choose to install those. 

Conclusions

Overall, this is a nifty little trailer with one significant issue—but that may not be so troubling for some of you. 

Does the big patio door and ability to hold cargo outweigh the way the bed has been configured in this trailer? As always, your input is encouraged. 

More about these RV reviews

These RV reviews are written based on information provided by the manufacturers along with our writer’s own research. They are based on information from a single unit and may not reflect your actual experience. Shop your RV and dealership carefully before making a buying decision. We receive no money or other financial benefits from these reviews. They are intended only as a brief overview of the vehicle, not a comprehensive critique, which would require a thorough inspection and/or test drive.

Tony comes to RVtravel.com having worked at an RV dealership and been a life long RV enthusiast. He also has written the syndicated Curbside column about cars. He also works closely with a number of RV manufacturers to get an inside look at how things are done and is a brand ambassador for Rockwood Mini Lite with his wife, Peggy.

You can also check out his RV podcast with his wife, Peggy. 

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